This invention pertains to enclosed footwear in combination with a leg covering or body covering that is storable within a compartment that is integral with an exterior of the enclosed footwear. The leg covering can be either a gaiter or a pants leg portion, and the body covering can be either a sack portion or a suit portion.
When a person is performing an outdoor activity, in order for safety reasons and in order to realize maximum enjoyment of the activity, it is imperative that his/her footwear be sufficient to provide adequate protection and comfort. A shoe or boot itself is often sufficient to provide adequate protection and comfort to the person; however, there are times when extra protection is required.
For example, when hiking or maneuvering through a stream or other wet area, a typical shoe or boot will not always prevent water from entering into the shoe or boot, such that the foot of the wearer becomes wet and uncomfortable. When hiking or maneuvering through a forest, jungle or other vegetation-filled terrain, a shoe or boot will not always prevent insects, twigs, snakes, etc. from entering into the shoe or boot, such that the foot of the wearer may be bitten or scratched. When hiking or maneuvering through deserts or beaches a shoe or boot will not always provide sufficient protection for preventing sand or other debris from entering into the shoe or boot. And, when hiking or maneuvering through snow, a shoe or boot will not always be sufficient to prevent snow or other moisture from entering the shoe or boot.
Additionally, a shoe or boot itself is often insufficient to protect the lower leg of the wearer from snake bites, bug bites, scratches from thorns, etc.
Accordingly, a shoe or boot itself may not always provide adequate protection to prevent unwanted matter from entering into the shoe or boot, and may not always provide adequate protection against bites or scratches to the lower leg, whereby hiking, maneuvering through adverse conditions, and performing other outdoor activities can be extremely uncomfortable and dangerous.
Thus, there exists a need for providing a shoe or boot that can prevent unwanted matter from entering the shoe or boot, whereby protection and comfort are provided to the wearer during any outdoor activity. Certain attempts have been made in the past to provide footwear that is provided with structure to prevent debris from entering the footwear. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,642,573 issued to Brown on Jul. 1, 1997 discloses a shoe with an integral storable gaiter. In the Brown patent, the shoe and gaiter are integrally joined with one another, and a pouch is provided into which the gaiter can be stored when not in use. The pouch is integral with the shoe and is secured at the ankle collar of the shoe. Because the gaiter of Brown is stored within a pouch at the ankle collar of the shoe, and because when the gaiter is stored in the pouch the shoe is intended to take on its ordinary appearance, the Brown shoe is of limited practicality.
In this regard, in order for the shoe of Brown to take on a normal appearance when the gaiter is stored within the pouch, the gaiter must be of a limited height when pulled from the pouch. Otherwise, the storage of the gaiter within the pouch would result in an unsightly bulge around the ankle collar, which would not be a normal appearance of the shoe. Thus, to preserve the shoe of Brown with its normal and ordinary appearance, which is stated by Brown to be an advantage of the shoe and gaiter thereof, the gaiter of the Brown patent could extend up the lower leg of the wearer for a very limited portion, whereby the protective functions performed by the gaiter would be limited.
The shoe of the Brown patent may provide adequate protection and comfort to the wearer""s foot under certain very mild conditions. However, the Brown shoe would be inadequate to prevent unwanted debris from entering into the shoe while at the same time protecting the lower leg from bites, scratches and other potentially dangerous occurrences, when performing a wide variety of outdoor activities, such as skiing, hiking, or otherwise maneuvering through jungles, deserts, deep snow or deep streams.
Accordingly, there remains a need to provide a shoe or boot that can prevent unwanted matter or debris from entering the shoe or boot, and protect the lower leg of the wearer from bites or scratches, such that adequate protection and comfort can be provided to the wearer even under adverse conditions.
An object of this invention is to provide footwear which can be worn as a typical shoe or boot during non-adverse or non-dangerous hiking or maneuvering operations, and which can be modified into a shoe or boot providing protection for preventing debris or unwanted matter from entering the shoe or boot, while also providing protection to at least the lower leg from bites, scratches and other unwanted occurrences, when the hiking or maneuvering operations are performed under adverse conditions.
In accordance with this invention, a shoe or boot is provided which can be worn as a typical shoe or boot under non-adverse conditions, and which can be modified to prevent unwanted matter from entering into the shoe or boot, while also protecting the lower leg from unwanted occurrences, during adverse hiking or maneuvering operations, in order to provide adequate comfort and protection to the wearer In order to accomplish this purpose, the shoe or boot is provided with a compartment, that is integral with and accessible from an exterior of the shoe or boot, and in which compartment is storable a leg covering or body covering that can be removed from the compartment and secured around the wearer""s leg Because the compartment is accessible from an exterior of the shoe or boot, the compartment can define a large volume such that a large leg covering or body covering can be stored therein, whereby adequate protection and comfort can be provided even under adverse conditions.
The leg covering can either be a gaiter or a pants leg portion, and the body covering can either be a sack portion or a suit portion. The storage compartment can be located on the rear of the footwear and is closeable by a zipper or other appropriate structure. The storage compartment may be provided with a heating implement. The material defining the storage compartment can be stretchable, thereby allowing for easy storage of the leg covering, within the storage compartment. And, the size of the storage compartment can be individually designed to match the footwear with the leg covering or body covering.
The leg covering or body covering can be affixed to the footwear via thread or glue, or can be quickly removably attached to the footwear via a zipper, buttons, snaps, or hook and loop fasteners. The leg covering or body covering, and/or the footwear, can also be impregnated with an insect repellant.
When the leg covering is a gaiter, the gaiter is provided with structure to close the gaiter around a wearer""s leg, and the lower portion of the gaiter can be provided with a hook or snap to be attached to cooperating structure on the footwear. The gaiter can also include a cinch member around its central portion and around its upper portion, such that the extent to which the gaiter covers the wearer""s leg can be adjusted. When the gaiter is to cover a large portion of the wearer""s leg the top of the gaiter is cinched around the wearer""s leg, and when a gaiter is to cover a lesser extent of the wearer""s leg the gaiter is loosened around the top portion, then folded over, and cinched around the central portion.
When the leg covering is a pants leg portion, the pants leg portion can be provided with a zipper or other structure at an upper portion thereof such that a pair of pants leg portions can be attached to each other at the crotch of the wearer to cover an even greater extent of the wearer""s legs.
When the body covering is a sack portion, the sack portion can be provided with a zipper or other structure at an upper portion thereof such that a pair of sack portions can be attached to each other about the head and torso of the wearer to form a sack that substantially encloses the entire body of the wearer. Preferably, after the sack portions are attached to one another, an opening exists in the sack through which the wearer""s face is exposed.
When the body covering is a suit portion, the suit portion includes a sleeve for receipt of the wearer""s arm. The suit portion also includes a zipper or other structure at an upper portion thereof such that a pair of suit portions can be attached to each other about the head and torso of the wearer to form a suit that substantially encloses the entire body of the wearer, while not restricting use of the wearer""s arms and hands. After the suit portions are attached to one another, an opening exists in the suit through which the wearer""s face is exposed.
Provided in the storage compartment can be padding, such as a rubber pad, to prevent hooks or snaps of the gaiter, a zipper of the pants leg portion, sack portion or suit portion, or other hardware carried by the leg covering or body covering from causing discomfort to the wearer""s leg when the leg covering or body covering is stored within the storage compartment.